The weather on Friday and over the weekend looks to be sunny and warm — anyone in the mood for a picnic?! We're definitely planning on pulling out our old picnic blanket and heading to the nearest patch of green for a lazy afternoon. And of course, we'll need some lunch to sustain all that relaxing!
Picnic-Worthy Recipes from The Kitchn:
• Farmer's Lunch Sandwich
• Cold Peanut Sesame Noodles
• Golden Beet and Barley Salad with Rainbow Chard
• Smoky Deviled Eggs with Greek Yogurt
• Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies
And from around the webs:
• Sweet Tea Fried Chicken from The Splendid Table
• Chickpea Salad with Lemon and Parmesan from Orangette
• Coleslaw with Caraway and Raisins from Real Simple
• Rye Walnut Rolls from Epicurious
• Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies from Martha Stewart
What are your favorite picnic dishes?
Related: Escapes: A Drink in the Park
(Image: Flickr member langalex licensed under Creative Commons. For other photo credits, follow the recipe links)
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Straw Mat from The ...
10 No-Fail Decor Tricks & Tips for Small Spaces
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Guess you're not in NY! The weekend forecast for here is cooler and rainy. :( Maybe we'll have an indoor picnic...
Oh, I love picnics! Break out the hamper, cuz as soon as Spring weather will stick around long enough here, I'm heading for the hills or the nearest park!
Any suggestions for drinks? Especially non-alchoholic non-fizzy ones (lots of pregnant friends who don't like fizzy drinks)
chinesefireball21, my first thought for drinks was strawberry lemonade, which left me wondering whether raspberry lemonade is possible. Answer: yes.
Also blueberry lemonade.
For a completely different beverage style, there's horchata.
Now I want to go home and squeeze lemons instead of going to a show tonight!
Are deviled eggs, pictured above, really a good choice for an outdoor picnic? They need to be kept cold which requires additional weight in the picnic basket.
lona - Food can be left unrefrigerated for up to 4 hours before there's a significant risk of it spoiling, so I guess it depends on how soon you're going to eat them! But also, a lunch box-sized freezer gel-pack wrapped around the container with the eggs wouldn't be too much additional weight, I think!
Pressed sandwiches. No, not pressed a hot grill. You take a big roung loaf of bread, cut it in half as if it were a giant-sized kaiser, take out some of the center and stuff it with roasted and marinated veggies, arugula, spinach, some red pepper and eggplant spread or hummus. I'm a fan of grilled eggplant and zuccini with artichoke hearts, olives, arugula, roasted red peppers, and banana peppers. Stack it impossibly high. Then, put the top half of the bread back on, wrap the whole thing in waxed paper, tie it with butcher's string, and put a big heavy concrete brick on top. Leave it over night- the next day it will be compressed and ready to take on your picnic- you'll want to re-tie the string, as it will now be loose. Cut it like a pizza, serve with prosecco and some fresh fruit. Delicious, and it travels like a dream.
Summer is coming soon. Picnic season!!
I love picnics. This one is a crowd pleaser:
http://abcdsofcooking.blogspot.com/2009/08/otsu.html
eilonwy: thanks for the links :) Will go on my list along with some ice tea
I recently made these Middle Eastern-style spinach turnovers for a picnic with friends. Easy one-handed snack. And I'm of the opinion that deviled eggs are worth whatever hassle is entailed.